視聽說4 culture and languages

視聽說4 language and culture整理 (1*10)UNIT1Samuel Johnson (17091784) is a scholar, lexicographer, poet and man of letters. He was known as Dr Johnson because he had honorary doctorates from Dublin and Oxford but he himself rarely used the title.A master's degree (an MA or Ms/MSc) is a postgraduate degree, which usually includes a dissertation or research project. A PhD (a doctor of philosophy, from the Latin) or DPhil is a doctorate. In the USA this involves completing postgraduate courses and a research thesis; in Britain it is mostly completed by research so the thesis is generally longer. In Britain, all teachers in primary and secondary schools are graduates and many have higher qualifications. They also need to be qualified by completing a postgraduate certificate in education (a PGCE), which takes a year. Teachers in universities, especially those starting out, generally also need to take a short training course. To go for it is to make an attempt. Don't even think about it means that Janet shouldn't worry about whether Joe likes her or not. Want ads are job advertisements, describing who and what skills the employer wants for the job. The job listings are the lists of jobs and vacant positions in the newspapers or journals. I don't have that day open means I am not free that day. Overqualified means too well qualified for a particular job. Underqualified means without enough qualifications for a particular job. Phyllis Stein is a professional career counsellor who advises individuals about their careers, about job applications and interviews, and gives workshops in the Boston area of Massachusetts. A mock interview is a practice interview, like a rehearsal, to prepare with guidance for real interviews. To stay on target means to remain focussed on the main objective or idea. A bed and breakfast is a small hotel or private house that provides a room for the night and a meal the next morning. They are generally cheaper than a larger hotel and often used by tourists or those travelling on a limited budget. To fidget means to keep making small quick movements with parts of your body because you are bored, nervous or impatient. UNIT2Charles Dickens (18121870) was one of the most popular English writers of the period. His novels include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Great Expectations. Many of them are set in London. Docklands is a district of London where the docks used to be, but which is now the home of many banks and other financial institutions. The feature is a newspaper or magazine article that is about one particular subject, often on general issues in the sciences, arts or culture or giving more extensive discussion on an aspect of current news. A London angle refers to aspects that give special emphasis to London. That's right up your street means that's exactly the type of thing that you are interested in or good at doing. If someone or something gets on your nerves, they make you feel annoyed or nervous. Don't let it get to you means don't let it affect you emotionally, eg annoy or upset you. To be stressed means to be affected by a nervous feeling that stops you relaxing. A cliffhanger is a metaphor for an exciting or end part to a section of a book or TV series that makes you want to read or see the next part. A brainwave is a sudden very good idea. I'll get over it means I'll start to feel happier again (after something bad has happened). Reading for pleasure is a social practice and a cultural idea that reading is not only for utilitarian purposes but is for fun and entertainment, and is therefore a leisure activity. Public libraries are typically lending libraries from which any member of the public can borrow books and other materials. They are often considered an essential part of having an educated and literate populationplaces offering advice, access to information and knowledge, and where people can nurture a love of reading, develop lifelong learning and have free access to computer and Internet services. Reference rooms are sections or rooms in a library with reference books and trained staff who offer advice on how to access particular information. The British Library is a national archive of books, print and non-print materials centred on new premises in London, which includes important collections of historical books and documents, including music. The British Library has reading rooms and offers services for researchers, librarians and information professionals and makes arrangements for school and college visits; there are also free exhibition galleries for books, illustrations, photos etc. All UK publishers and book distributors have a legal obligation to send one copy of each of their publications, so the national collection is enormous. UNIT3London Fashion Week is the second in the series of fashion weeks, starting in New York, and followed by Milan and Paris. It's an annual event which allows fashion designers to display their latest collections and buyers to take a look at fashion trendsTesco is a chain of supermarkets in Britain and around the world. Catherine Kidston or Cath Kidston is the name of a range of homeware, clothing, accessories and outdoor goods. To showcase means to show someone or something in a way that attracts attention and emphasizes their good qualities. The hottest new trend is a new trend (a change of development, a fashion) which is exciting and interesting. Glamour refers to a special quality that makes a person, place, or situation seem very exciting, attractive or fashionable. Mixing and matching means finding different things (here, clothes) that originally do not belong with each other and then putting them together in combinations that seem related because they have similar qualities. Punk is a fashion that includes brightly coloured hair and torn clothing and chains (also a type of music). Girlie is a style that looks suitable for a young girl. Portobello Road is a street in Notting Hill in West London, famous for its weekly street market where many visitors come for antiques, fashions, food and second-hand goods. Notting Hill is a cosmopolitan area in West London which has an association with artists, the Portobello Road market and the 1999 romantic comedy film, Notting Hill. UNIT4You've got me there is used for admitting something that someone else has found out about you, such as a mistake or fault. I'd better take this is used for saying that you will answer the phone. Are we still on for today? is used for confirming that an appointment or arrangement previously made is still OK. Something has come up means something has appeared or arisen; this usually refers to a problem or difficulty. Are we clear this afternoon? is used for asking whether they are free or whether there is a previous arrangement in the work diary. Free samples refer to small items given to customers free of charge as gifts to encourage them to buy other items. A cabin is a small wooden house in the mountains or forest. A special-edition car is a car which is made in limited numbers and has special features; many are sports cars or luxury cars. A mansion is a large house, especially a beautiful one. Learjet is the name of a company which has been making business jets (with 68 passenger seats) since 1963. A con artist is a person who does this by telling lies and cheating people of their money. A scam is very similar to a con but it includes getting either money or goods from people by tricking them. A fraud is also similar but the term is used for crimes relating to tax, insurance or getting money from a government agency. The jackpot is a large amount of money that someone wins in a game (eg a game of cards involving money) or "lottery", or to get a large unexpected success or reward. To hit the jackpot means that you win the most important prize in a competition. A lottery is a game designed to raise money by selling lottery tickets that people buy hoping that their numbers are chosen by chance in "a draw" so that they win a money prize. Texas is an economically rich state in south central USA, the second largest American state, known as a centre for the cattle industry and for its oil (discovered in the early 1900s). Dallas is a city and large metropolitan area in Texas with a major airport and banking, commerce, telecommunications, computer technology and other industries. More Than Money is one of a number of American companies that give advice to those who have recently inherited or won large amounts of money. Infiniti is the name of a luxury sports car manufactured by Nissan since 1989 and sold in the USA, East Asia and elsewhere with the motto of "graceful strength". Top of the line refers to the best of several products that form a set because they are all of the same type or are produced by the same company, also "top of the range". Low key means without much activity or reaction and deliberately does not attract public attention. A Rolls Royce is a world-famous hand-built luxury car, known for its smoothness and comfort. The company began in 1906 and after various owners has been owned by BMW since 2003. The mascot is "the Spirit of Ecstasy". UNIT5To put oneself down means to criticize yourself so that people think you are less good, clever etc than you really are. Stereotyping refers to giving or sharing a very simple idea about what a particular type of person or thing is like. Gender stereotyping is giving such an idea about men or women. Racial stereotyping is giving such an idea about different races or ethnic groups. Multi-ethnic community includes two or more ethnic groups. European, American and Australian societies are, in general, characterized by diversitythey are multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilingual as a result of extensive population movements and migration patterns in the distant past and, especiSector is a part of a country's economic or business activity: "the economic sector", "the service sector", "the manufacturing sector" etc. Aspiration is the wish to achieve something or something that you want to achieve. Counterpart is someone or something that has the same job or purpose as another person or thing, but in a different situation, organization, time or place. Household relates to all the people living in one home. To balance family life and work means not to work more than is reasonable or necessary in order to give time to your family: A "life-work balance" is usually proposed or mentioned when people are working so hard that they are not spending much time with their family. UNIT6Britain is divided into constituencies with roughly equal numbers of people living in them. Each constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP). The party which has the most MPs forms the Government. The leader of the Government is the Prime Minister, who is based in Downing Street, with the Cabinet Ministers around Whitehall. The permanent Head of State is the monarch / king or queen of the day. Liverpool is a city on the east coast of England with a long history as a major port. Southampton is a city on the south coast of England and is a major port. It has the UK's second largest container terminal. The Cutty Sark is a ship that was built in 1869. It is preserved in dry docks at Greenwich, a town on the River Thames near London with a long maritime history UNIT7The tube is the name often used for the London Underground train system. A line is a route that is part of a railway system. The London Underground has 12 lines, one of which is called the Victoria Line.DIY, an abbreviation for "do-it-yourself", means the activity of making or repairing things for our home instead of paying someone to do them for us. A DIY store sells the equipment we need in order to do this, for example, tools and electrical equipment. The British are very keen on DIY UNIT8Downtown is a mainly American expression for the centre of a town or city, especially the business or shopping areas. The blues is a type of slow and sad music that developed from the songs of black slaves in the southern US. Muddy Waters was a famous blues singer. The Rolling Stones is a famous British pop group. 7