Unit 4 Extraterrestrials

1
Unit 4 Extraterrestrials
2
Language Study

• pessimist (L.3) a person who always expects bad
  things to happen
• Dont be such a pessimist!
• You dont have to be a pessimist to realize that
  were in trouble.

3

• ????
• pessimist-optimist
• pessimism-optimism
• pessimistic-optimistic
• pessimistically-optimistically
• There is now a mood of deepening pessimism
  about/over the economy.
• The doctors are pessimistic about his chances of
  recovery.

4

• on account of (L.6) because of as a result of
  due to owing to thanks to
• She retired early on account of ill health.
• account for explain the cause of sth.
• His illness accounts for his absence.
• take sth. into account consider sth.
• When judging his performance, dont take his age
  into account.

5

• ridiculous (L.6) foolish or unreasonable and
  deserving to be laughed at
• Dont be ridiculous! You cant pay 500 Yuan for a
  T-shirt!
• They ate and drank a ridiculous amount.
• ???
• absurd

6

• work up (L.11)
• to develop or produce by mental or physical
  effort to bring sth. into existence, esp.
  gradually or in stages
• She went for a long walk to work up an appetite.
  ( to make oneself hungry)
• I cant work up any enthusiasm for his idea.
• to increase ones skill, responsibility,
  efficiency, or status through work
• worked up to 30 sit-ups a day

7

• pension (L.13)
• an amount of money paid regularly by a government
  or company to sb. who is considered to be too old
  or too ill to work
• to receive an old-age/a retirement pension
• a disability/widows pension
• ??pension, installment, alimony, allowance
• a small, usu. cheap, hotel in some European
  countries, especially France.
• A pension had somewhat less to offer than a
  hotel it was always smaller, and never elegant
  it sometimes offered breakfast, and sometimes not.

8

• complicated (L.14) adj. having many parts that
  are organized in a way that may be difficult to
  understand
• He gave me directions, but they were so
  complicated I got lost.
• Its all very complicated but Ill try and
  explain.
• ???complex elaborate
• vt. complicate n. complication
• The rescue operation was complicated by bad
  weather.
• The issue is complicated by the fact that a vital
  document is missing.

9

• complex complicated
• complex???????????????????????????????,???????????
  ?????????,???????????????????
• the complex mechanism of a watch (???????)
• Physics is a rather complex subject involving
  the study of matter and motion.
  (????????????????????????)
• complicated??complex?????,????????????????????????
  complex,???complicated???complicated????????compl
  ex??
• That puzzle is too complicated for the children.
  (????????????)
• The material has a complicated pattern.
  (????????????????)

10

• knock off (L.21) informal
• to take a break or rest from stop to cease work
• Its after12 lets knock off for lunch.
• to complete, accomplish, finish
• That author knocks off three novels a year.
• to get rid of, eliminate
• knocked off 12 pounds in a month
• to hold up or rob
• knocked off a bank
• to copy or imitate, esp. without permission
• knocking off someone elses ideas

11

• hit the sack/hay (L.21) informal go to bed
• Ive got a busy day today, so I think Ill hit
  the sack.
• ??hit???
• hit the deck
• hit the roof
• hit the bottle

12

• rocket (L.25)
• n. a spacecraft in the shape of a tube that is
  driven by a stream of gases let out behind it
  when fuel is burned inside
• Long March carrier rocket
• v. to increase very quickly and suddenly
• Sales of milk in supermarket are rocketing.
• Unemployment has rocketed up again.
• rocketing prices

13

• bug (L.29) (eyes) stick out or cause (eyes) to
  stick out annoy sb
• The naughty kid from next door put a frog in my
  mailbox, which really bugged me.
• His eyes bugged with horror.

14

• He closed the windows to keep the bugs out.
• (small insects)

15

• Im running a fever I must have picked up a bug
  somewhere.
• (a small living thing causing disease, typically
  a bacterium a germ)
• The system failed again because of a bug in that
  old software.
• (an error or malfunction in a computer program
  or system)

16

• The telephone in her room was bugged.
• (a miniature microphone was concealed to
  eavesdrop or record illicitly the conversation oh
  the telephone)
• He is debugging the computer.
• (to identify and remove errors from computer
  hardware of software)

17

• alike (L.37)
• adj. not before n. very similar
• The twins are as alike as two peas in a pod.
• Friends are generally alike in background and
  tastes.
• adv. in a very similar way
• They dress and walk alike.
• They tried to treat all their children alike.

18

• isolated (L. 48) adj.
• (of buildings and places) far away from any
  others
• isolated rural areas
• without so much contact with other people or
  other countries
• Elderly people easily become socially isolated.

19

• vt. isolate n. U isolation
• A high wall isolated the house from the rest of
  the neighborhood.
• The country has been threatened with complete
  isolation from the international community unless
  the atrocities stop.
• The prisoner was kept in isolation for three
  days.

20

• adopt (L.52)
• to start to use a particular method or to show a
  particular attitude towards sb/sth
• All three teams adopted different approaches to
  the problem.
• ????????????
• We adopted the new method of making wine.
• to take another persons child legally into your
  own family to raise as your own child
• Any childless couple may adopt a child.

21

• n. adoption adj. adopted
• Adoption gives many needy children a future as
  well as giving many childless couples a family.
• Danny is their adopted son.
• America is Isaac Asimovs adopted country. ( not
  the country where he was born, but the one where
  he has chosen to live)

22

• mode (L.52) a particular way of doing sth a
  particular type of sth.
• Railways are the most important mode of transport
  for the economy.
• a mode of communication/behavior
• ????????,??????????????
• He suddenly became wealthy, which changed his
  whole mode of life.

23

• go for sth. (L. 55) like, admire
• I dont go for war films in a big way.
• What sort of men do you go for?

24

• blink (L.59) shut and open your eyes rapidly
• Staring for hours at a computer screen dries out
  the eyes as people blink less.
• Ill be back before you can blink. ( very
  quickly)
• When I told him the news he didnt even blink. (
  showed no surprise at all)

25

• in the blink of an eye extremely quickly
• In the blink of an eye, he has gone.
• on the blink broken no longer working
  correctly
• When a machine is on the blink, it is not
  working correctly.

26

• regardless(L.60) pay no attention, even if the
  situation is bad or there are difficulties
  despite in spite of everything
• The job is open to all, regardless of previous
  experience.
• The weather was terrible but we carried on
  regardless.
• regard n. regard to/for sb./sth.
• Some only children have no regard for other
  peoples feelings.
• She gives little regard to her sisters teasing.
• Give the family my best regards. (good wishes
  pl.)

27

• regard v. regard as
• Her parents always regarded her as the cleverest
  of their children.
• ???????????????????????
• Titanic is regarded as his best film so far.
• prep. regarding as regards sb/sth in/with
  regard to ??
• She has said nothing regarding your request.
• I have little information as regards her fitness
  for the post.
• Every country has laws in regard to human rights.

28

• at ones service (LL. 60-61) completely
  available to help sb.
• If you need anything. I am at your service.
• be of service (to sb.) to be useful or helpful
• Can I be of service to you?
• Thank you so much for that. Im glad to have
  been of service.
• do sb. a service to do sth. to help someone
• Youve done me a great service. Thank you.

29

• supreme (L.72)
• highest in position
• supreme court (????)
• very great or the greatest in degree
• For me, dieting requires a supreme effort of
  will.
• She smiled with supreme confidence.

30

• go to pieces (L.74) (of a person) to be so upset
  or nervous that he loses control of himself and
  cannot do what he should do
• After his wife died he just went to pieces.

31

• come around/round (L.76)
• to visit someone in their home
• Come round tonight and well have a party.
• to change your opinion of something, often
  influenced by another persons opinion
• Do you still dislike your major, or have you come
  round to thinking its all right?
• If an event that happens regularly come round, it
  happens at its usual time
• Christmas comes round so quickly!
• My birthday seems to come around quicker every
  year.

32

• ????????????
• call at/on ????
• call in ?????
• drop in ????
• drop in on sb. ??????
• stop by ????
• stop in ????
• pay a visit ??

33

• leave alone (L.85) to not annoy or interrupt
  sb. to not touch or be involved with sth.
• If you just leave her alone shell do the job
  right.
• ?????????,???????????
• I told you to leave that vase alone now youve
  broken it.

34

• heave (L.101)
• to raise or lift sth. heavy using a lot of effort
• He heaved the box of books onto the table.
• to throw sth. forcefully, esp. sth. large and
  heavy
• She picked up a great book and heaved it at him.

35

• wit (L.102) n.
• U the ability to use words in a clever and
  humorous way
• He was known for his sharp/dry/quick wit.
• C a person who is skilled at using words in a
  clever and humorous way
• Mark Twain was a well-known wit.
• at ones wits end be so worried by a problem
  that you do not know what to do next
• She was at her wits end wondering how shed
  manage it all in the time.

36

• make like (L.103) informal act as if one were
  (Pattern make like sb./sth. make like clause)
• The old man made like a monkey to amuse the
  children.
• Stop making like you know everything, OK?
• She made like she was about to leave, but then
  stayed for hours.

37

• knock sb./sth. down (L.103)
• to hit sb and make them fall to the ground
• She was knocked down by a bus.
• to destroy a building by breaking its walls
• These old houses are going to be knocked down.
• informal to reduce the price of sth. knock sth.
  down (from sth.) (to sth.)
• He knocked down the price from 80 to 50.

38

• fade (L.109) become less bright disappear
  gradually
• The curtains had faded in the sun. / The sun had
  faded the curtains.
• His voice faded to a whisper.
• fade out to disappear gradually become less
  clear or quieter
• As its getting colder and colder, their
  enthusiasm for doing sports in the morning faded
  out.
• fade in to appear gradually become clearer or
  louder

39
Useful Expressions

• on account of
• a general store
• a sheep ranch
• insist on doing sth.
• a flying saucer
• be backed up against
• knock off
• hit the sack
• a shooting star
• bug ones eyes
• a dark complexion
• haveunder observation

• spit out ????
• go for
• regardless of
• at sb.s service
• a hurry-up message ??
• go to pieces ???
• recover ones wits ???
• make like
• knock down
• The breath goes out of sb. ???????
• fade out