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Lead In. Listen to the following passage and try to fill the missing words in the blanks.
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Listen to the following passage and try to fill the missing words in the blanks. You will hear the passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its original idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. Turn to p. 116, and let’s listen.
First time I often find myself trying to explain the attraction traveling 1)____________ for me. Traveling, according to many people, is often 2)____________ and even, at least sometimes, dangerous. But one benefit of traveling is that it creates a perfect atmosphere for the 3)____________, an environment that can lead to better understanding and enlightenment. Many wonderful people and places lie 4)____________. The fact that there are obstacles as well only makes the journey 5)____________. My life and my memories will be enriched after encountering these people and places. That’s a pretty big benefit! Of course I could also enrich my life without traveling very far at all, but there is something about foreign lands that provides 6)____________. I think most non-travelers are simply too distracted by things such as work, home, and friends to devote 7)____________ to observation of life. I'm more observant when I’m on the road and therefore, more alive. I talk to more people and listen to them carefully. I keenly notice everything about my strange new environment. I see a lot of humor that can compensate for the misery of 8)____________. 2nd time
Second time I often find myself trying to explain the attraction traveling 1)____________ for me. Traveling, according to many people, is often 2)____________ and even, at least sometimes, dangerous. But one benefit of traveling is that it creates a perfect atmosphere for the 3)____________, an environment that can lead to better understanding and enlightenment. Many wonderful people and places lie 4)____________. The fact that there are obstacles as well only makes the journey 5)____________. My life and my memories will be enriched after encountering these people and places. That’s a pretty big benefit! Of course I could also enrich my life without traveling very far at all, but there is something about foreign lands that provides 6)____________. I think most non-travelers are simply too distracted by things such as work, home, and friends to devote 7)____________ to observation of life. I'm more observant when I’m on the road and therefore, more alive. I talk to more people and listen to them carefully. I keenly notice everything about my strange new environment. I see a lot of humor that can compensate for the misery of 8)____________. 3rd time
Third time I often find myself trying to explain the attraction traveling 1)____________ for me. Traveling, according to many people, is often 2)____________ and even, at least sometimes, dangerous. But one benefit of traveling is that it creates a perfect atmosphere for the 3)____________, an environment that can lead to better understanding and enlightenment. Many wonderful people and places lie 4)____________. The fact that there are obstacles as well only makes the journey 5)____________. My life and my memories will be enriched after encountering these people and places. That’s a pretty big benefit! Of course I could also enrich my life without traveling very far at all, but there is something about foreign lands that provides 6)____________. I think most non-travelers are simply too distracted by things such as work, home, and friends to devote 7)____________ to observation of life. I'm more observant when I’m on the road and therefore, more alive. I talk to more people and listen to them carefully. I keenly notice everything about my strange new environment. I see a lot of humor that can compensate for the misery of 8)____________. Check up
I often find myself trying to explain the attraction traveling 1)_______ for me. Traveling, according to many people, is often 2)______________ and even, at least sometimes, dangerous. But one benefit of traveling is that it creates a perfect atmosphere for the 3)_________________, an environment that can lead to better understanding and enlightenment. Many wonderful people and places lie 4)________________. The fact that there are obstacles as well only makes the journey 5)_______________. My life and my memories will be improved after encountering these people and places. That’s a pretty big benefit! holds uncomfortable observation of life on the road ahead more rewarding
Of course I could also enrich my life without traveling very far at all, but there is something about foreign lands that provides 6)______________________. I think most non-travelers are simply too distracted by things such as work, home, and friends to devote 7)________________ to observation of life. I'm more observant when I'm on the road and therefore, more alive. I talk to more people and listen to them carefully. I keenly notice everything about my strange new environment. I see a lot of humor that can compensate for the misery of 8)_____________. an additional fascination their full attention moving about
What is your purpose of traveling? Do you travel for historical attractions … Or sightseeing?
Or seeing different places? Do you travel for learning about different peoples …
Do you travel for some leisure time … Or studying foreign cultures?
Passage A The Woman Taxi Driver In Cairo
Passage A • Content awareness • Language Points • Language Focus
Content awareness A trip to Cairo The author---a regular traveler A woman taxi driver, Nagat My days with her Drives a worn taxi A hard life Qualified driver in Cairo A woman with determined approach Capable of inviting goodwill from other people Proud and independent
Question for reflection: How is the passage related to the issue of traveling with the description of a female taxi driver, Nagat?
2. Language points The Woman Taxi Driver In Cairo Her name is Nagat. I first saw her outside Cairo’s airport terminal. A woman taxi driver — the only woman, for that matter, among a large crowd of her male counterparts. Do you know what it is like to arrive in a strange city in the middle of the night? Nobody, not even a ray of sunshine is here to greet you. When I walk out of the terminal, I am facing the crowd of taxi drivers milling about in front of every airport the world over. Here in Cairo, it is large and noisy. “Taxi!” “You want taxi?” I hear all round me.
The first impression of her I feel a firm hand holding my left arm. “You want taxi, follow me,” the woman says. She doesn’t ask, she simply pulls me through the crowd. I follow her willingly. There is this moment when a tourist, particularly a woman, simply has to trust someone. We stop at a worn car. It has seen a better day, there are quite a few scrapes on its body, the tires are bald and there is a crack in the windshield. But it is a car for hire, and the woman will personally drive me. I breathe a sigh of relief when she puts my bag into the trunk, locks it and gets behind the wheel. “I will drive you, don’t worry,” she says. Nagat, as she now explains to me, works as a taxi driver several days and nights a week. She has another job, working in an office, but details of it remain vague. The little old car is not hers; it belongs to a boss from whom she in turn rents it whenever she can. She has been a driver ever since her husband died some ten years earlier and left her with two teenage kids and her parents to support.
She knows every nook and cranny in and around Cairo — no easy feat. Cairo with its complex system of streets and lanes, its quarters and markets is like a labyrinth invented by ancient storytellers. Hundreds of mosques — many of which are masterpieces of Islamic architecture, old neighborhoods with houses boxed together, huge apartment buildings on the outskirts and the Nile calmly running through it; all are part of this overcrowded city. With a mild sense of humor around a deep core of understanding of human nature, Nagat takes control of my sightseeing schedule. Every morning punctually at nine o’clock, I can depend on seeing her short, solid frame outside the hotel lobby, her round face turning into a big smile as soon as she sees me coming down the stairs. Most every day, she wears an earth tone-colored Jellaba. Her movements are energetic and she doesn’t waste any time. Her determined approach seems to have grown on a bed of economy, on the necessity to get as much done as she possibly can.
What becomes clear to me soon as she drives me from museum to pyramid, from one part of town to the opposite, is this: she is a true exception here. Wherever we stop, be it for a cup of tea during a break or upon arriving at an historical site where her male colleagues gather in the parking area — everywhere, she is being noticed. Men walk up to her in the car with questioning faces. As she tells me, they all have one question first of all: “Are you a taxi driver?” She then explains in a few short sentences, and I see the men’s faces soften, smile and respectfully and kindly chat with her. This scene repeats itself over and over again. I get the sense that she invites goodwill from the people she meets.
Nagat is proud and independent. One day, as I find her waiting outside a museum, she is just taking a spare tire out of the trunk of the taxi. One of the bald tires had finally gone flat, and she was going to change it herself. Several curious people gather around her and she receives offers of help — but no, she wants no part of that. In her efficient, deliberate manner, she changes the tire, and having done so, washes her hands with bottled water, gets in the taxi and asks “Where to now?” Should you find yourself at Cairo’s airport, look for Nagat outside the international arrival hall. If you are lucky, you will have a chance to see Cairo through the eyes of a woman taxi driver.
terminal Examples adj. a terminal exam terminal stages of a disease\ n. control terminal air terminal
for that matter — a phrase used to show that a statement is true in another situation or can also refer to another person • Examples • I’m going to quit smoking, and so should youfor that matter. • You oughtn’t to have spoken like that to Bernard’s friends, or to anybody for that matter.
counterpart n. — a person or thing which has the same purpose as another one in a different place or organization • Examples • The Prime Minister is to meet his European counterparts to discuss the war against drugs. • A lot of work should be done before the chairman holds talks with his counterpart.
mill about/around — to move about in a disorderly or confused way • Example • Crazy ideas milled around in his mind. More to learn
mill n. — a machine to crush corn, grain, etc. into flour • Example • The mills of God grind slowly. 天网恢恢,疏而不漏。
It has seen a better day, … Paraphrase It is no longer in good condition, …
Scrape Example v. Scrape the mud off your shoes with this knife. He just scraped through the final examination. Scrape the bottom of the barrel. 退而求其次。 Vs. scratch
sigh Example Breathe a sigh of… Say with a sigh… sigh for sth. sigh for their lost youth
relief n. — a feeling of happiness that something unpleasant has not happened or has ended • Examples • She breathed a sigh of relief when she found out she had passed her exams. • It was such a relief to hear that Glen survived the accident. More to learn
relieve v. — to make something unpleasant less strong • Example • The good news relieved my anxiety. The doctor gave her a drug that relieves headaches.
I am in for the competition. day in, day out in between Spring is in. Long skirts are in again. In view of in virtue of in- phrases
nook(s) and cranny(ies) — small spaces, sub-divisions in a location, building, etc. • Examples • The children searched every nook and cranny that might harbor a frog. • Every nook and cranny of this peaceful house held sweet memories of Rebecca.
core n. — the central part of something • Examples • The earth’s core is a hot, molten mix of iron and nickel. • The basic lack of government funding is the core of the problem. More to learn
core v. — to remove the core from • Example • Peel and core the pears before serving them. hard-core
punctual a. — arriving, doing something or happening at the expected, correct time • Examples • The meeting was punctual but the attendants were not. • Our manager is known as a very punctual person. More to learn
punctually ad. — in a punctual manner • Example • The meeting started punctually at 10.00 a.m. More to learn
punctuality n. — being punctual • Example • The boss does expect punctuality from his subordinates.
Her determined approach seems to have grown on a bed of economy, on the necessity to get as much done as she possibly can. Paraphrase Her determined manner seems to have resulted from economic needs and the necessity to accomplish as much as possible. More to learn
Her determined approach seems to have grown on a bed of economy, on the necessity to get as much done as she possibly can. approach v. — 1) to deal with (something) • Example • We need to find the best way of approaching this problem. He approached the new job with enthusiasm. More to learn
Her determined approach seems to have grown on a bed of economy, on the necessity to get as much done as she possibly can. approach v. — 2) to come near(er) • Example • The total amount raised so far is approaching $1000. It is not allowed to approach the forbidden area. More to learn
Her determined approach seems to have grown on a bed of economy, on the necessity to get as much done as she possibly can. approach n. — the act of getting nearer; a way or method of doing something • Example • The approach of Christmas has brought about a shopping boom. More to learn
Her determined approach seems to have grown on a bed of economy, on the necessity to get as much done as she possibly can. economy n. — the intentional saving of money; or the saving of time, energy, words, etc. • Examples • The new machines can work with more speed and economy. • Hemingway is known for his economy of words.
efficient a. — working or operating quickly and effectively in an organized way • Examples • The city’s transport system is one of the most efficient in Europe. • We need an efficient secretary who can organize the office and make it run smoothly.
soften v. — to (cause to) become soft, gentle, less stiff, or less severe • Example • You can soften the butter by warming it gently. More to learn
softener n. — a substance used to make something soft • Example • Put a spoonful of fabric softener into the washing machine before you rinse the clothes. More to learn
softness n. — being soft • Example • Our fabrics are carefully selected for their softness, to ensure they won’t irritate a baby’s skin.
She is a true exception here. Paraphrase She is quite different from other taxi drivers. Why?
I get the sense that she invites goodwill from the people she meets. Paraphrase I realize that she can easily establish a friendly relation with the people she meets.
spare a. — not being used, or extra to what is usually needed • Examples • He didn’t have a spare tire when he had a flat yesterday. • Fortunately she had a spare key hidden over the door to let her in. spare it
deliberate a. — 1) (often of something bad) intentional or planned • Example • The car crash wasn’t an accident; it was a deliberate attempt to kill the witness. More to learn