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新視野大學(xué)英語(yǔ)讀寫教程第一冊(cè)u(píng)nit7-a Face to Face with Guns

所屬教程:新視野大學(xué)英語(yǔ)讀寫教程第一冊(cè)

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Unit 7

Section A

Pre-reading Activities

First Listening
Having ideas about a story before you read it is an important reading skill. Please listen to a very short piece of recording.

Second Listening
Now listen to the recording for the second time and try to the best of your ability to answer the following questions.
1. How many things did the thieves steal from the man? What were they?
2. What saved the man's life?
3. What is the raging river?

Face to Face with Guns

Like most city folks, I'm cautious. I scan the street and pathways for anything— or anyone — unusual before pulling into the garage. That night was no exception. But, as I walked out of the garage, KFC chicken in hand, a portly, unshaven young man in a stocking cap and dark nylon jacket emerged from the shrub by the parking pad and put his pistol between my eyes.
"Give it up, mother —," he threatened. "Give it up."
"Hey," I said, "just take it." As I spoke, I set the KFC box on the planter beside the pathway, contriving as I did so to toss my house keys into a bush.
"Where's your money? Where's your money?" he barked. Everything he said during our encounter was repeated; instinctively, I did the same.
"It's in my wallet. It's in my wallet," I said.
He moved behind me, put his gun on my neck and began to search my trousers' pockets.
"Where's your wallet?" he asked.
"It's in my back pocket."
"Where's the rest of your money?"
"I don't have any more money."
"Where's your watch?"
"Here," I replied, extending my left arm sideways.
Just then, his partner appeared. Slight and shorter, he held an enlarged blue steel pistol. His dark eyes shone like polished glass; his arms and legs moved unexpectedly, as if attached to unseen wires.
His voice snapped, "Stop looking at us. Stop looking at us."
He wasn't stupid. I've seen enough criminal trials to know victims of armed attacks are seldom able to identify their offenders because their attention focuses on the guns, rather than on their users. I consciously noted details of their faces.
"I'm not looking at you," I lied as the big one ripped the watch from my wrist.
"Get down. Get down," the thin one ordered. He grabbed my glasses and tossed them onto the lawn.
By then, I was flat on my face on the pathway, its dirt against my forehead. The big one's gun dug into the back of my head, the thin one's pistol into my left temple.
I thought, "I am going to die. This is going to kill Leslie. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner."
"What's this?" the big one asked.
I rolled my head to the right.
"It's KFC chicken," I said.
"We'll take it," the big one snapped.
And, suddenly — wallet, watch and chicken in hand — their footsteps faded down the darkened street.
I turned to see their shadows get into a car and speed away.
I had been spared, but by what? Mercy? A short attention span? Hunger?
"How peculiar," I thought, "to have your life saved by fried chicken. I saw eternity; they saw food."
I got to my feet, found the keys, entered and called 911. The operator took a description of the robbers and sent a police car. I poured a stiff drink and, soon, two uniformed officers of the LAPD arrived. They took a report and admitted the "important thing" was nobody was hurt.
"But," one officer said on leaving, "taking your chicken, that's rough."
Later, an officer telephoned for additional details. He said the pair's methods suggested they might be the same men who had committed a number of robberies in the area over the past few months. He asked me to come to the station and look through mug shots.
So, last Monday I looked through album-sized books of pictures mostly of young men — an amazing number of them actually children.
Turning those pages and studying their photographs is like flowing on a sad current that, like Blake's Thames, seems to "mark in every face, marks of weakness, marks of woe."
Together, these young men are a kind of river — one that is out of control, eating at the foundations of things we hold dear: our freedom to move about; the fruits of labor; our own lives and those of people we value. Some day, we will have to face this river and seek the depths of its discontent.
Presently, all we can do is look at mug shots and stick our fingers in the dam.

Words: 687
NEW WORDS

cautious
a. taking great care to escape possible danger 十分小心的,謹(jǐn)慎的

unusual
a. not expected or usual 異乎尋常的,不平常的

exception
n. a person or thing that is not included 除外,例外;除外的人或事

shave
v. remove hair from the face or another part of the body with a razor 剃胡須,剃去……上的毛發(fā)

unshaven
a. not recently shaved 未剃須的,未修面的,有短髭的

stocking
n. (usu.pl.) 長(zhǎng)(統(tǒng))襪,襪子
stocking cap 圓錐形絨線帽,針織帽

nylon
a. & n. 耐綸(制的),尼龍的;耐綸織品,尼龍織品

▲shrub
n. a small bush 灌木

pad
n. 1.(停車的)地方,(簡(jiǎn)易機(jī)場(chǎng)的)飛機(jī)起落段
2. 墊,襯墊

▲pistol
n. a small gun that one holds in one hand 手槍

▲contrive
v. manage to do or make something although there are difficulties 設(shè)法做到

▲toss
vt. throw into or through the air 扔,拋,擲

bark
v. 1. speak to someone in a loud voice with an angry or aggressive tone 厲聲地說(shuō),咆哮
2. (used about dogs) make a loud, short noise or noises (狗)吠,叫

instinct
n. natural habit of behaving in a particular way, without thinking and without having been taught 本能,天性

instinctively
ad. (出于)本能地,(出于)天性地

▲wallet
n. a small case made of cloth, animal skin or plastic, etc. carried in the pocket and used for holding paper money, personal papers, etc. 皮夾子

trousers
n. (尤指男子穿的)長(zhǎng)褲,西(裝)褲

sideway(s)
ad. to or towards one side (斜)向一邊(或一側(cè)),向旁邊

slight
a. 1. thin and light 瘦小的
2. small; not great; not very bad 少量的;輕微的;不嚴(yán)重的

enlarge
vt. make sth. larger 擴(kuò)大,擴(kuò)展,使增大

polish
v. 1. make sth. smooth and shiny by rubbing 擦,擦光,擦亮
2. improve 使完美,改進(jìn)

unexpected
a. not expected; sudden 沒(méi)有料到的,突如其來(lái)的

unexpectedly
ad. in a way that is not expected 沒(méi)有料到地,突如其來(lái)地

attach
vt. tie or join sth. to sth. else 系,貼;連接

criminal
a. against law 犯罪的,犯法的,刑事的
n. a person who is at fault in a crime 罪犯

victim
n. a person who suffers harm or death as a result of someone else's action or a natural terrible event, etc.受害者,犧牲者

offend
v. 1. break a law, etc. 違法,違犯
2. make someone feel upset or angry 冒犯,觸怒

offender
n. a person who offends against the law 犯法的人,犯規(guī)的人

user
n. a person who uses particular goods, machines or services 使用者,用戶

detail
n. (often pl.)a small part or piece 細(xì)節(jié),詳情

▲rip
vt. remove sth. with speed and violence, using one's hands; tear 猛力扯掉,移去或去除

wrist
n. the part of one's arm at the joint between hand and forearm 腕,腕關(guān)節(jié)

lawn
n. an area of grass in a garden or park that is regularly cut 草坪,草地

dirt
n. matter that is not clean, such as dust or wet earth 污物,爛泥,灰塵

forehead
n. the part of the face above the eyebrows 額,前額

temple
n. either of the flat parts of one's head at the side of the forehead 太陽(yáng)穴

lord
n. (in the Christian faith) God or Jesus Christ 上帝,耶穌基督

mercy
n. kindness to sb. 慈悲,憐憫,仁慈

sin
n. wrong; a wicked act, especially one that breaks a religious law (違背道德規(guī)范的)罪;罪惡;(違犯宗教戒律的)罪孽
vi. do wrong to commit a sin 違反教規(guī),違犯戒律,犯罪

sinner
n. a person who sins (宗教、道德上的)罪人

footstep
n. the sound made by walking 腳步(聲)

span
n. the full time for which anything lasts 一段時(shí)間,持續(xù)時(shí)間

fry
vt. cook in hot oil or fat 油煎,油炒

eternal
a. without end; lasting for ever 永恒的,永久的,不斷的

▲eternity
n. 1. the state or time after death 不朽,來(lái)世
2. time without end 永恒,無(wú)窮

operator
n. 1. someone who connects telephone calls 電話接線員,機(jī)務(wù)員,話務(wù)員
2. someone who works a machine 操作員,技工

rob
vt. steal from a person, place, etc. 搶劫

robber
n. a person who steals from a person, place, etc. 搶劫者;強(qiáng)盜,盜賊

robbery
n. the crime of stealing from a person, place, etc. 搶劫罪,搶劫(案)

stiffa. 1. (used about alcoholic drink) strong (酒)濃的,烈性的
2. Very firm; not easily bent or folded; rigid 僵硬的,挺的,不易彎曲的

additional
a. extra 額外的,另外的

current
n. a continuous flowing movement of water, air, etc.(水、空氣等的)流,潮流
a. from or about the present time 現(xiàn)時(shí)的,當(dāng)前的

■woe
n. [U] great sadness 哀愁

foundation
n. 1. the idea, law, or fact on which sth. is based 基礎(chǔ),基本原理,根據(jù)
2. an organization established with money so that it may continue into the future 基金會(huì) 3. the act of founding sth. 建立,設(shè)立

presently
ad. 1. now 現(xiàn)在,目前
2. soon 不久,一會(huì)兒

dam
n. a wall built across a river to hold back the water and form a lake behind it 壩,堤
PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS

face to face (with)
1. close to and looking at someone or something 面對(duì)面的/地
2. no escape from sth. and haveing to deal with it 無(wú)法逃避,只能去處理

pull into
arrive and stop; move to (one side)(車)??浚获傁颍ㄒ慌缘龋?/p>

as if
with the appearance of; apparently 好像

attach to
fix sth. to sth. else; join to 系在……上;連接到……上

rather than
instead of; less likely 而不

have mercy on someone
show kindness to an enemy, sinner, one who does wrong, etc. 可憐某人

get to one's feet
stand up 站起來(lái)

look through
look quickly in; examine or study carefully 瀏覽;仔細(xì)檢查

be out of control
be impossible to deal with or guide 失去控制

eat (away) at
damage or destroy bit by bit 逐漸毀掉,侵蝕
PROPER NAMES

KFC
Kentucky Fried Chicken 肯德基炸雞連鎖店

Leslie
萊斯利(人名)

LAPD
the Los Angeles Police Department 洛杉磯警察局

Blake
布萊克(1757-1827,英國(guó)詩(shī)人和版畫(huà)家)

Thames
(the~ ) 英國(guó)英格蘭南部泰晤士河(流經(jīng)牛津、倫敦等)

 

 

手槍脅迫之下                                                                                                           
   
和大多數(shù)城里人一樣,我非常小心謹(jǐn)慎。在把車開(kāi)進(jìn)車庫(kù)前,我會(huì)掃視街道和周圍的小路,看看有沒(méi)有異常的人或東西。那天晚上也不例外。 可是當(dāng)我手里拿著肯德基炸雞走出車庫(kù)時(shí),一個(gè)肥壯、留著短髭、頭戴絨線帽、身穿深色尼龍夾克的年輕人從停車處旁邊的灌木叢中鉆出來(lái),把手槍頂在我的雙眼之間。
    "交出來(lái),他媽的--,"他威脅道,"出來(lái)。"
    "嗨,"我說(shuō),"去吧。"我一邊說(shuō),一邊把肯德基快餐盒放在小路旁邊的播種機(jī)上,同時(shí)設(shè)法把我房子的鑰匙扔進(jìn)灌木叢中。
    "你的錢呢?你的錢呢?"他吼道。在我們?cè)庥龅倪^(guò)程中,他會(huì)重復(fù)自己說(shuō)的每一句話;出于本能,我也同樣重復(fù)著自己的話。
    "在我錢包里,在我錢包里,"我說(shuō)。
    他走到我的背后,把槍頂在我的脖子上,開(kāi)始搜我的褲子口袋。
    "你的錢包呢?"他問(wèn)。
    "在后面的口袋里。"
    "還有呢?"
    "我就這么多錢了。"
    "你的手表呢?"
    "在這兒,"我邊回答邊把左臂伸向路旁。
    就在這時(shí),他的同伙出現(xiàn)了。他很瘦小,手持一支加大的藍(lán)色鋼制左輪手槍。 他深色的眼睛里閃著光,好似擦亮了的玻璃;他手臂和雙腿冷不防地移動(dòng)著,就好像是連著看不見(jiàn)的電線似的。
    他厲聲說(shuō)道,"不許朝我們看,不許朝我們看。"
    他并不蠢。我看過(guò)許多刑事審判,因而知道在那些武裝襲擊的受害者中,很少有人能夠辨認(rèn)出襲擊他們的人,因?yàn)樗麄兊淖⒁饬θ性跇屔希鴽](méi)有放在持槍人上。 我有意識(shí)地留意了一下他們面部的細(xì)節(jié)。
    "我沒(méi)有看你們。"當(dāng)那個(gè)大個(gè)子劫匪把手表從我的手腕上扯下來(lái)時(shí),我撒了個(gè)謊。
    "趴下,趴下,"那小個(gè)子命令我,并一把摘下了我的眼鏡,把它扔到草坪上。
    這時(shí),我已面朝下趴在了地上,地上的塵土緊貼著我的前額。 那個(gè)大個(gè)子劫匪用槍頂著我的后腦勺,小個(gè)子用左輪手槍頂著我左邊的太陽(yáng)穴。
    我當(dāng)時(shí)想,"這下完了。他們就要?dú)⑺廊R斯利了。主啊,可憐可憐我這個(gè)有罪的人吧。"
    "這是什么?"大個(gè)子問(wèn)道。
    我把頭轉(zhuǎn)向右邊。
    "是肯德基炸雞,"我說(shuō)。
    "我們把它帶走,"大個(gè)子厲聲說(shuō)道。
    接著,突然間---劫匪們手里拿著錢包、手表和炸雞---他們的腳步聲消失在了黑暗的街道上。
    我轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身,看見(jiàn)他們的影子鉆進(jìn)了一輛汽車,急速地開(kāi)走了。
    他們沒(méi)有殺我,但他們?yōu)槭裁催@么做呢?是仁慈?是因?yàn)闀r(shí)間太緊而顧不上來(lái)?還是因?yàn)轲囸I?
    "多奇怪啊,"我心中暗道,"竟然是炸雞救了我的命。當(dāng)時(shí)我看見(jiàn)了死亡,而他們看見(jiàn)了食物。"
    我站起身來(lái),找到了鑰匙,進(jìn)了屋,然后撥通了911。接線員記下了我對(duì)劫匪的描述,然后派了輛警車來(lái)。 我剛為自己倒了一杯烈性酒,兩個(gè)穿制服的洛杉磯警察局的警察就到了。他們對(duì)此事作了筆錄,說(shuō) "幸好"沒(méi)有傷人。
    "但是," 臨走時(shí)一個(gè)警察對(duì)我說(shuō), "他們拿走了你的炸雞,這也實(shí)在太不像話了。"
    后來(lái),一個(gè)警察打電話來(lái)詢問(wèn)另外一些細(xì)節(jié)。他說(shuō)這兩個(gè)劫匪的作案手法表明他們可能就是過(guò)去幾個(gè)月里這一地區(qū)多起搶劫案的肇事者。他讓我到警察局去看一下疑犯的照片。
    于是,上周一我翻看了數(shù)本大大小小的照片簿,多數(shù)是年輕人的--令人驚訝的是其中有相當(dāng)一部分實(shí)際上還是孩子。
    一張張翻看并研讀這些照片,仿佛漂流在一條讓人傷心的河流上,就像身處英國(guó)詩(shī)人布萊克筆下的泰晤士河畔,似乎  "看見(jiàn)每一個(gè)過(guò)往行人都是滿臉饑色,滿臉愁苦。"
    這些年輕人聚合在一起構(gòu)成了一條河流--一條已失去控制的河流,這條河流正吞噬著我們所珍視的東西的基礎(chǔ):我們的行動(dòng)自由;我們的勞動(dòng)果實(shí);我們的生命,以及那些我們尊敬的人的生命。 總有一天,我們將不得不面對(duì)這條河流,并探索其對(duì)現(xiàn)實(shí)不滿的深層原因。
    而目前,我們所能做的就是看看罪犯的照片,并參與到構(gòu)筑抑制犯罪的大壩中去。


 

 

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