Words in Action
Working with Words and Expressions
1.Listed in the box below are some of the words that you need to be very familiar with. Now work in pairs and make sentences with each of them to see if you have really mastered their usages. You are encouraged to consult a dictionary if you are still not quite sure about their meanings and usages.
▆Sample sentences for reference:
1)This is really a nicespotfor a picnic. We should come here again.
2)These regulations are so complicated that they will onlycreateconfusion.
3)This species of plant is becoming increasinglyrare.
4)Heindicatedhis willingness with a nod of his head.
5)I gave him some medicine toeasethe pain.
6)To be a good research student,you must have a mind forinquiry.
7)My sister has beenpreachingat me again and again about my untidy habits.
8)You shouldseekadvice from your lawyer on this matter.
9)The doctors are worried because her breathing has become veryshallow.
10)I havewrappedthe parcels and they’re ready to be posted.
2.In the box below are some of the words you have learned in this unit. Complete the following sentences with them. Change the form where necessary.
▆Answers:
1)awkward
2)relief
3)occur
4)opinions
5)disturbing
6)released
7)pausing
8)scattered
9)swallowed
10)wipe
11)treat
12)recall
3.In the box below are some of the expressions you have learned in this unit. Do you understand their meanings?Do you know how to use them in the proper context?Now check for yourself by doing the blank-filling exercise. Change the form where necessary.
▆Answers:
1)became well acquainted with
2)took us by surprise
3)gather our thoughts
4)turned out
5)fight back
6)hang up on
7)ran away
8)take care of
9)hemmed and hawed
10)turned into
11)keep…from
12)soaking up
▆Increasing Your Word Power
1.Complete the multiple choice exercise by choosing the right answer.
▆Answers:
1)a. make
2)e. fluent
3)c. sturdy
4)e. throw
5)b. create
6)d. desperate
7)d. survive
8)b. sociable
2.Many words in English can be used both as nouns and as verbs. Complete all the sentences using either the noun form or the verb form of the words given inbox. Change the form where necessary.
▆Answers:
1)focus
2)fears
3)focus
4)attack
5)fears
6)attacks
7)visits…visited
8)touched
9)chat
10)touch
11)match
12)chats
13)match
14)fear
1.Did you notice the suffixes -y,-able in words such as panicky and portable in this unit?The suffix -able can be added to a noun or a verb to form an adjective,and -y can be put after a noun to form an adjective. Now form adjectives by adding -y or -able to the words given in the table and write down the Chinese meaning for each adjective.
▆Answers for reference:
Nouns/VerbsSuffixesAdjectivesChinese Meanings
fault -y faulty 有错误的；有缺点的；不完善的
guilt guilty 有罪的；有过失的
hand handy 手边的；方便的
panic panicky 惊恐的；易恐慌的
pick picky 吹毛求疵的；爱挑剔的
adapt -able adaptable 能适应新环境的；适应性强的
imagine imaginable 可想象的；想得到的
port portable 便于携带的；轻便的
predict predictable 可预言的；可预料的
rely reliable 可靠的；可信赖的
1)guilty
2)adaptable
3)handy
4)imaginable
5)predictable
6)panicky
7)faulty
8)picky
9)reliable
10)portable
Grammar in context
Observe the following sentences from both Text A and Text B,paying special attention to the use of the past perfective aspect of the verb. Then do the following two tasks.
Task 1:Combine each pair of sentences into one by making use of the past perfect aspect of the verb.
▆Answers for reference:
1)We rushed to the railway station,but found the train had left.
2)Before I became an English major at an American college,I had learnt some English at high school in China.
3)Kathy had already picked up the tickets by the time I got to the cinema by bike.
4)No sooner had I shut the door than the telephone rang. or: I had no sooner shut the door than the telephone rang.
5)The students did not understand until the teacher had explained the theory in detail.
Task 2:A theft happened in a company last Saturday. John,the person who was on duty,was telling a friend what had happened. Imagine you are John and your partner his friend. Tell him what happened using the following clues. You need to add what is missing and make use of the past perfect aspect of verbs whenever necessary to indicate the sequence of the events.
▆Answers for reference:
1)I saw the door open
2)the office had been broken into
3)quite a few things had been stolen
4)had already come back to the office
5)the 200 dollars he had locked in his drawer was gone
6)had just bought
7)A few computers in the office had been stolen
Cloze
Complete the following passage with words chosen from this unit. The initial letter of each is given.
▆Answers:
1)recent
2)surprise
3)sad/solemn
4)keeping
5)disturbing
6)inquires
7)admitted
8)occurred
9)surgery
10)options
11)tightly
12)soaking
13)scent
14)gatherings
Translation
1.Translate the following sentences into English,using the words and expressions given in brackets.
Answers for reference:
1)We are good friends;however,he kept such an important matter from me,which took me by surprise.
2)At the commencement,she felt a lump in her throat but fought back her tears.
3)Tom chatted with me last night. He told me that his disease had been brought under control,and there was no need for surgery.
4)Her parents were worried sick when they knew that she had run off the highway.
5)She looks very worried;I wonder what’s on her mind.
6)He is a shy and silent boy. Before he went onto the stage to share his experiences,he sat quietly in a corner of the auditorium,gathering his thoughts.
7)After several years of working in a band,he has now gone back to being a solo musician,so his career has come full circle.
8)To his relief his son has turned into a capable businessman.
