Dialogue-main

1. Dialogue-main Text I Pre-Reading Questions General Reading Background Notes Text Comments on the Text Exercises

2. Dialogue-main Text II Text Comprehension

3. Questions on specific details 1 Pre-Reading Questions Before you read the text, think about the title and tick off the statements which you think are likely to tell the content of the text. ___ ___ ___ ___ √ 1. The writer describes what his first job was like. 2. The writer wanted to have a job because he wanted some experience. 3. The writer found his first job unpleasant. 4. The writer enjoyed his first job. √

4. Questions on specific details 1 General Reading Guidelines for skimming 1. Run the eyes over the text rapidly, read only the familiar words and phrases and ignore the unfamiliar ones. Try to piece together the bits of information gathered from the rapid reading sensibly so that the main idea(s) is (are) grasped.

5. Questions on specific details 1 2. Try to recognize the key words and phrases, i.e., words and phrases that are closely related to the title of the text; and ignore the supporting details, i.e., anything that describes, explains, or develops the main idea(s). 3. Read only the first and the last sentence of each paragraph, for, as a rule, the gist of a paragraph is found there. But, of course, there are always exceptions. 4. Read the first paragraph and the last paragraph of a text for the same reason as 3.

6. Questions on specific details 2 Go over the text rapidly once and then decide which of the following statements best sums up the content. ___ ___ ___ 1. The writer went to an interview and felt depressed. 2. The writer was interviewed by the headmaster of a school and was not given a job which he needed badly. 3. The writer was interviewed by the headmaster of a school and was offered a job which was none too pleasant. √

7. Questions on specific details 1 Background Notes job interview A job interview typically precedes the hiring decision, and is used to evaluate the candidate. The interview is usually preceded by the evaluation of submitted résumés from interested candidates, and a selection of a small number of candidates for interviews. Potential job interview opportunities also include networking events and career fairs. The job interview is considered one of the

8. Questions on specific details 1 most useful tools for evaluating potential employees. An interview also allows the candidate to assess the corporate culture and demands of the job.

9. Questions on specific details 1 General School Certificate General Certificate of Education (GCE) stands for an educational qualification in Britain. There are two levels of examinations in the British GCE. Schoolchildren at the age of 15 or 16 may take any number of examinations in a range of subjects and, after passing the examinations, are awarded “O” Level (ordinary level) GCEs. Students aged 17 or over may take “A” Level (advanced level)

10. Questions on specific details 1 examinations, which are necessary for entrance to a university. The GCE was replaced by General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in 1988.

11. Questions on specific details 1 cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs (得分、跑位) as possible while the other team bowls (投球) and fields (接球), trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting (击球) team. A run is scored by the

12. Questions on specific details 1 striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease (位置线) there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an innings (球局).

13. Dialogue-Text1 My First Job While I was waiting to enter university, I saw in a local newspaper a teaching post advertised at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short of money and wanting to do something useful, I applied, fearing as I did so, that without a degree and with no experience of teaching my chances of landing the job were slim.

14. Dialogue-Text2 　　However, three days later a letter arrived, summoning me to Croydon for an interview. It proved an awkward journey: a train to Croydon station; a ten-minute bus ride and then a walk of at least a quarter of a mile. As a result I arrived on a hot June morning too depressed to feel nervous.

15. Dialogue-Text3 The school was a dreary, gabled Victorian house of red brick and with big staring sash-windows. The front garden was a gravel square; four evergreen shrubs stood at each corner, where they struggled to survive the dust and fumes from a busy main road.

16. Dialogue-Text4 It was clearly the headmaster himself that opened the door. He was short and rotund. He had a sandy-coloured moustache, a freckled forehead and hardly any hair. He was wearing a tweed suit — one felt somehow he had always worn it — and across his ample stomach was looped a silver watch-chain.

17. Dialogue-Text5 He looked at me with an air of surprised disapproval, as a colonel might look at a private whose bootlaces were undone. “Ah yes,” he grunted. “You’d better come inside.” The narrow, sunless hall smelled unpleasantly of stale cabbage; the cream-printed walls had gone a dingy margarine colour, except where they were scarred with ink marks; it was all silent. His study, judging by the crumbs on the carpet, was also his dining room. On the mantelpiece there was a salt cellar and pepper-pot.

18. Dialogue-Text6 “You’d better sit down,” he said, and proceeded to ask me a number of questions: what subjects had I taken in my General School Certificate; how old was I; what games did I play; then fixing me suddenly with his bloodshot eyes, he asked me whether I thought games were a vital part of a boy’s education. I mumbled something about not attaching too much importance to them. He grunted. I had said the wrong thing. The headmaster and I obviously had singularly little in common.

19. Dialogue-Text7 The school, he said, consisted of one class of twenty-four boys,ranging in age from seven to thirteen. I should have to teach all subjects except art, which he taught himself. Football and cricket were played in the Park, a mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.

20. Dialogue-Text8 The teaching set-upappalled me. I should have to split the class up into three groups and teach them in turn at three different levels; and I was dismayed at the thought of teaching algebra and geometry — two subjects at which I had been completely incompetent at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of Saturday afternoon cricket. It was not so much having to tramp a mile along the dusty streets of Croydon, followed by a crocodile of small boys that I minded, but the fact that most of my friends would be enjoying leisure at that time.

21. Dialogue-Text9 I said diffidently, “What would my salary be?” “Twelve pounds a week plus lunch.” Before I could protest he got to his feet. “Now,” he said, “you’d better meet my wife. She’s the one who really runs this school.” This was the last straw. I was very young: the prospect of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity. By Robert Best

22. post post:n. a job or official position in a company or organization e.g.: She applied for the new post of training officer. According to the deputy prime minister, the new governor will keep his post and has already started performing his duties.

23. be short of be short of: not have enough e.g.: If you’ve ever mislaid your keys or glasses and blamed this on being daft or forgetful, you may be a bit short of sleep. Consumers will be short of money in the months ahead, which could hold back retail sales growth.

24. apply apply:v. write a letter or fill in a form in order to ask formally for something such as a job or membership of an organization e.g.: There are several ways to apply for a job, and it all depends on what kind of job it is. Remember, your information is confidential and the college you apply to doesn’t share it with anyone else.

25. slim slim: a. very small e.g.: A person, who speaks only one language, has a slim chance for success in the 21st century job market. While some people see these steps as acknowledging the lawsuits’ slim chances of success, others simply see them as a smart backup plan.

26. summon summon:v. order to come e.g.: The British royal family has underlined Australia’s importance to the Commonwealth with the Queen summoning Prime Minister Julia Gillard for a private chat during the royal wedding day. Some claim that spirits are all around us every day, so summoning one should be as simple as saying hello to a stranger on the bus.

27. dreary dreary:a. dull and depressing e.g.: It was a dreary day, cold and without sunshine. What makes life dreary is the want of motive.

28. gabled gabled:a. (of a roof) constructed with a single slope on each side of the ridge supported at the end by a gable or vertical triangular portion of an end wall e.g.: The gabled sunroom roof offers an artistic flare to your home.

29. rotund rotund: a. round and fat e.g.: It has a small stand at the base that hold this rotund product from rolling around. This soft little penguin has had too many fish to eat; he is so rotund!

30. ample ample: a. fairly large e.g.: Her baby was resting against her ample bosom. The candidate will join an exciting research team with ample resources and excellent training opportunities.

31. loop loop:v. go in a circular direction that makes a curved shape e.g.: It is made from round wire which is first looped at regularly pitched intervals and then pressed into a deep wedge-shaped section.

32. grunt grunt:v. make a low rough noise, especially because one is annoyed or uninterested e.g.: She grunted a few words in reply, then turned and walked away. When he had finished the last drop, he grunted and walked sleepily into the box.

33. stale stale: a. (of air or smell) unpleasant because it is no longer fresh e.g.: The room smells of stale air. It must have been vacant for a long time. Potato chips become stale when they are exposed to air for an extended period of time.

34. dingy dingy:a. (of color) discolored by impurities; not bright and clear e.g.: We all know that after time washing white clothes look dingy. How do I keep my white sheets from getting dingy without using bleach?

35. be scarred with be scarred with: be damaged with by having ugly marks on the surface e.g.: Tracy’s life is forever scarred with the sudden losses of loved ones. The Moon is scarred with ancient craters that, on Earth, would have long ago weathered away.

36. proceed to proceed to: do something after doing something else first e.g.: Since everyone agrees on the matter, let’s proceed to discuss the next point. Before we proceed to examine this part of the case, it may be proper to listen to the witness.

37. attach importance to attach importance to: lay stress on, give or ascribe importance to e.g.: Many companies attach importance to etiquette and manners in addition to individuals’ abilities and skills. We must attach importance to food safety because it is concerning people’s lives.

38. singularly singularly:ad. (formal) very, to a remarkable degree e.g.: He made a singularly successful attempt at devising a new computer program.

39. consist of consist of: be made up of, be formed from e.g.: Your essay should consist of an introduction, the main body and a conclusion. The white blood cells consist of five different kinds of cells, all of which play a different role in fighting infection.

40. range in … from A to B range in … from A to B: vary of something between A and B on a scale of measurement or quality e.g.: Vacuum cleaners range in price from less than $100 to more than $500. The children at the orphanage range in age from infant to 10－12 years old.

41. appal appal:v. cause to be unpleasantly surprised e.g.: They were appalled when they heard that the chairman had been murdered. The decision to close a bookshop at the Dylan Thomas Centre would have appalled the poet after which the venue is named.

42. split up into split up into: divide into e.g.: This document assumes that the project will be split up into different sections that can be implemented and tested separately. World Wide Web may split up into several separate networks.

43. in turn in turn: one after another in a fixed or agreed order e.g.: All the students answered their teacher’s question in turn. There were cheers for each of the artists when they perform in turn.

44. be dismayed at be dismayed at: feel afraid, worried or sad at e.g.: Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. The artist said he was dismayed at the government’s decision to cut millions from the arts budget.

45. a crocodile of a crocodile of: a long line of people or things, which are moving together e.g.: Everyone was surprised to find that a crocodile of coaches appeared on the narrow street earlier in the morning.

46. get to one’s feet get to one’s feet: stand up e.g.: After running for such a long distance, the little girl could not get to her feet finally.

47. Croydon Croydon: a city in Surrey, England, south of London

48. a ten-minute bus ride a ten-minute bus ride: a bus ride that takes ten minutes Ten-minute is a compound adjective of time formed by combining a cardinal number with a noun in the singular number which are joined by a hyphen. e.g.: a three-week holiday, a ten-kilo bag of rice, a two-month-old baby

49. Ordinal numbers are used ... Ordinal numbers are used in compound adjectives in a similar way. e.g.: a first-rate opera, a second-hand book, a nineteenth-century building.

50. Victorian house Victorian house: a house typical of the time Queen Victoria (1819－1901) reigned over Britain (1837－1901)