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Unit Four --- Reading I

Personal Progress and Job-hopping

Warm--upTextTranslationNotes

New Words ExamplesExercisesExtended Activities

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Text Personal Progress and Job-hopping

1. In many parts of the world, personal influence 影响 is almost essential 必要的 in getting ahead 出人头地 . One needs a “godfather 教父 ” , a “sponsor 赞助人 ” . Here that is not true. Naturally all people use influence sometimes, but one rarely advances far on that basis alone in the United States. Here traits品质 which lead to 导致 success are generally considered to be the willingness to work hard (at any kind of job), scholarship 学识 or skill, initiative 主动性 , an agreeable 令人愉快的 and outgoing 外向的 personality 性格 . In other words, even in the realm 领域 of personal progress, this is a

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“do-it-yourself ” society. By and large 总的说来 , success is neither inherited 继承 nor bestowed 赠与 . This means, therefore, that our employment practices are different from those in many other countries.

2. In some nations it is considered disloyal 不忠诚的 to quit a job; deep reciprocal 互惠的 loyalties 忠诚 exist between employee and employer (“recipient 接受者” and “patron 资助人 ” in many cases); lifelong 终生的 job security 保障 and family honor are frequently involved.

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3. This is not true in the United States. “Job-hopping” is part of our constant 不断的 mobility 流动性 . We consider it a “right” to be able to better 改善 ourselves, to move upward 升迁 , to jump from company to company if we can keep qualifying 取得资格 for more responsible( and therefore better) jobs.

4. This interchangeability 可互换性 of personnel 员工 seems unreasonable to some members of foreign nations. Where are our roots? How can we be so cold and inhuman 无人性的 ? “We act,” some say, “as if we were dealing with 处理 machines, not humans.” They do not understand that a great

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many Americans like to move about. New jobs present new challenges挑战 , new opportunities, new friends, and new experiences—often a new part of the country.

5. The employer may be quite content 满意的 too. Perhaps he has had the best of that man’s thinking; a new person may bring in 引进 fresh ideas, improved skills, or new abilities. Then, too, a newcomer will probably start at a lower salary for he will have no seniority 资历 . Hopping is so readily accepted here, in fact, that a good man may bounce 弹回 back and forth 来回地 among two or three corporations, being welcomed back to his original 起初的 company more than once through his career, each time at a different level.

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Unit Four

What words can you associate with the pictures?

seniority a.qualify v.sponsor n.

reciprocal a.bestow v.godfather n.

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influence n.hop v.essential a.

bounce v.seniority n.original a.

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disloyal a.loyalty n.better v.

inhuman a.trait n. interchangeability n.

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original a.constant a.challenge n.

realm n.inherit v.content a.

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outgoing a.agreeable a.personnel n.

scholarship n.personality n.security n.

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initiative a. n.personality n.mobility n.

recipient n.

patron n.

lifelong a.

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New Words

1. hop v. 跳过 2. influence n. v. 影响 3. essential a. 必要的4. godfather n. 教父

5. sponsor n. 教父 6. trait n. ( 人的 ) 品质 ; 特性7. scholarship n. 学识 ; 奖学金8. initiative n. 主动性9. agreeable a. 令人愉快的

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10. outgoing a. 外向的11. personality n. 个性 ; 性格12. realm n. ( 活动或兴趣 ) 领域13. inherit v. 继承 ( 财产、头衔 )

14. bestow v. 赠与15. disloyal a. 不忠诚的16. reciprocal a. 互相给予的；互惠的17. loyalty n. 忠诚

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18. recipient n. 接受者19. patron n. 资助人20. lifelong a. 终生的21. security n. 安全；保障

22. constant a. 不断的；连续发生的23. mobility n. 流动性；机动性24. better v. 改善25. qualify v. （使）具有 / 取得资格

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26. interchangeability n. 可互换性27. personnel n. （总称）人员；员工28. inhuman a. 无人性的29. challenge n. 激励性的任务；挑战

30. content a. 满意的31. seniority n. 资历；年历32. bounce v. 弹回33. original a. 起初的

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1. get ahead 领先；出人头地2. on the basis of 在……的基础上；根据3. lead to 导致4. by and large 大体上；总的说来5. move upward 升职；升迁

6. deal with 处理；安排7. be content with 满意8. bring in 引进；引入9. back and forth 来回地

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Examples

1. get ahead: 取得进步，获得成功 e.g. Getting ahead at work is the most important thing to him right now. She soon found that it wasn’t easy to get ahead in the movie business.

2. on that base alone: on the basis of 在……的基础上 e.g. The government prohibits discrimination 歧视 on the basis of race,

color, or national origin. We will work hard to build a new international order on the basis of the

Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

3. trait n. 特性 e.g. Does Bryce have any bad traits? It’s human trait to joke about subjects that make us uncomfortable.

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4. lead to : 导致（无被动形式） e.g. This will lead to trouble in the future.

5. personality n. 人品，人格（品质和性格的总称；包括个性或行为，特别是指确定的人） e.g. Despite their different personalities, they became best friends. A disease may cause changes in behavior and personality.

6. realm n. 界；领域，范围 synonyms: field, sphere e.g. The change in people’s attitudes will slowly move from the realm of theory into the sphere of practice.

7. by and large: 大体上；总的说来 e.g. By and large, your plan is a good one.

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8. bestow vt. 给予 e.g. bestow something on / upon somebody Honors were bestowed on him by the Queen.

9. disloyal a. 不忠实的；不忠诚的 e.g. Two newspapers have been criticized for disloyal reporting of the war.

10. quit vt. 放弃； 抛弃 e.g. I advised them to quit their dissipated ( 放荡的 ) ways.

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11. 辨析 recipient, sponsor & patron: recipient n. 接受者，领受人 e.g. They are welfare 福利 recipients.

sponsor n. 出资用表演、广播、运动比赛等做广告的节目费用赞助人 ; 出于慈善目的而支持某人完成某行动的赞助人 e.g. The opera house could not survive without commercial sponsors.

patron n. 赞助人；资助人 ; 老顾客 / 主顾 e.g. The shop gives a special offer for our regular patrons. Many artists were dependent on wealthy patrons.

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12. security n. 保险e.g. Workers want greater job security.

13. mobility n. 人的流动（如从一个社会集团、阶级或阶层移向另一个社会集团、阶级或阶层流动。） e.g. There was downward mobility for Americans as a whole during the Great Depression. 在大萧条时期，美国人总的来说向下层社会阶层流动。

14. better oneself: 自求上进；充实自己 e.g. People considered leisure time to be an opportunity to better oneself through learning, not merely to indulge in 沉溺于 fun and games.

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15. move upward(s) / up: 升职；上涨 e.g. To move up , you’ll need the right training. Share prices 股价 moved up this month.

16. qualify vt. 使…具有资格 e.g. Fluency in three languages qualifies her for work in the European Parliament 议会 .

17. keep qualifying for: 一直具有……资格 keep doing sth.: 继续做下去 e.g. I wish you wouldn’t keep interrupting. Keep going till you reach the traffic lights.

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18. 辨析 personnel & personal: personal a. 私人的；个人的 e.g. the president’s personal bodyguard personal letter / matter / opinion/ computer

personnel n. 全体人员；员工；全体职员 ; 人事部门 e.g. She is studying personnel management. She works in personnel.

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19. somebody’s roots: 根，根源 e.g. Alex Haley’s story about his search for his roots became a bestseller.

20. as if: 仿佛；就好象 ; 假定；好象（某事是真的） e.g. I couldn’t move my legs. It was as if they were stuck to the floor. He spoke to me as if I were deaf. He shook his head as if to say “don’t trust her”.

21. deal with: 对付；应付；处理 ; 与……做生意 / 交易 e.g. Effective measures have been taken to deal with drug smuggling 走私 . I’ve dealt with this store / person / company for 20 years.

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22. They do not understand that a great many Americans like to move about.: About in this sentence means “here and there; in all directions or places ( 到处 )”. e.g. They always go about together. Papers are lying about on the floor.

23. challenge n. 挑战 e.g. The company is ready to meet the challenges of the next few years.

24. be content with : be happy and satisfied with. 满足于 e.g. We’ll be content with a respectable 体面的 result in tomorrow’s match.

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25. had the best of the man’s thinking: got the best ideas from the man. The best of sth. : 最好的人 ; 最佳之物 e.g. Even the best of us sometimes forgets things. She’s the best of the new young writers.

26. bring in : 引进 ; 获利；赚钱 e.g. They brought experienced people in to help. The sale brought in over ＄ 200.

27. start at a lower salary: In this phrase, “at” shows a price, rate, level, age, speed, etc. 表示价格、比率、水准、年龄、速度等以……；在…… e.g. I saw it at a distance. The temperature stood at 40 degrees.

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28. bounce v. 弹起 e.g. The kids were bouncing on the sofa.

29. back and forth: 来回地，来来去去地 e.g. We travel back and forth all the time between Canada and England. He was pacing back and forth across the room.