Unit 7
as the object of the preposition.
Practice: Fill in each blank with a proper relative word. Use “preposition + relative word” if necessary.
1. Good writing is built on a solid framework of logic, argument, narrative, or motivation _________ runs through the entire piece of writing and holds it together. This is the time _________ many writers find it most effective to outline as a way of visualizing the hidden spine _________ the piece of writing is supported.
2. The man, _________ father is a professor, forgot his umbrella.
3. Australia is one of the few countries _________ people drive on the left. 4. James Russell is a man _________ I have the greatest respect.
5. His glasses, _________ he could see nothing, fell on the ground and broke. 6. He built a telescope _________ he could study the sky.
Key:
1. which / that, when, by which 2. whose
3. where / in which 4. for whom 5. without which 6. through which
3. whatever, wherever, whoever, whichever, whenever, and however
The words whatever, wherever, whoever, whichever, whenever and however have similar meanings to ―no matter who, what, which …‖. A word of this kind has a double function: it acts as a subject, object or adverb in its own clause. It also acts as a conjunction joining its clause to the rest of the sentence.
e.g. Whatever you may say, I am not going to take him back. (No matter what you say, ...) Wherever you go, I shall follow you. (No matter where you go, I shall follow you.) Whoever disobeys the law must be punished. (No matter who disobeys the law …) However much he eats, he never gets fat. (No matter how much he eats, …) These words are also used to suggest something not definitely known. e.g. I shall come whenever I can slip away. ? We shall send whoever is available.
? You will have to be content with whatever you can get.
Practice: Complete the following sentences with the appropriate words in the box. whoever wherever whatever however whenever whichever
1. ____________ problems you may have, we will help. 2. Take _____________ book you like best.
3. ___________ late it is, you must come to the party because it will be something fantastic. 4. You will see this product advertised ____________ you like.
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5. ____________ you come, you will be warmly welcomed.
6. ____________ uprooted that tree ought to be ashamed of themselves.
7. This is one possible solution to the problem. ____________, there are others.
Key:
1. Whatever 2. whichever 3. However 4. wherever 5. Whenever 6. Whoever
7. However
III. Translation exercises
1. 他因急性阑尾炎住院治疗，结果连期末考试都没参加。（with the result that） Translation:
He was hospitalized with acute appendicitis, with the result that he missed the final
examination. Practice:
盗贼戴上手套，因而没有留下指纹。
The burglar wore gloves, with the result that there is no fingerprint to be found.
建国以来我们犯的几次错误，都是由于要求过急，目标过高，脱离了中国的实际，结果发展反倒慢了。
The mistakes we have made since the founding of the People‘s Republic were all due to over-eagerness: disregarding China‘s realities, setting excessively high targets, with the result that progress was slowed.
2. 前来听讲座的人远远超出原来的计划，分发给大家的讲义不够了。（go round） Translation:
As many more people came to the lecture than expected, there were not enough handouts to go round. Practice:
你领的书不够数。
You didn‘t get enough books to go round. 计算机不够整个年级学生用的。
There aren‘ t enough computers for the whole grade of students to go round.
3. 第一次来到异国的人往往会感到自己周围的一切既陌生，又有趣。（be apt to） Translation:
Anyone who has come to a foreign country for the first time is apt to find everything around him both strange and interesting. Practice:
我对此类鸡毛蒜皮的小事总是很不在乎。
I am apt to be very reckless in such shirt-button affairs.
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她常常直言不讳地说出全部真情，而其他人在这种情况下则往往会保持沉默。
She was apt to speak out the whole truth, in cases where other people would have kept silence.
4. 他的话，你得好好想一想，千万不要他说什么就信什么。（take at face value） Translation:
Never take what he says at face value. Think it over yourself. Practice:
她好像很亲切，可是我不应该信以为真.
She seems very friendly but I shouldn‘t take her at face value.
如果你只听懂她说的话的字面意义，那你就不能充分理解她的用意。
If you take her remarks only at their face value, you will not have understood her full meaning.
IV Exercises for integrated skills 1. Dictation
Professors may establish social relationships with students / outside of the classroom, / but in the classroom they maintain the instructor‘s role. / A professor may have coffee one day with students / but the next day expect them to meet a deadline / for the submission of a paper or to be prepared for a discussion or an exam. / The professor may give extra attention outside of class / to a student in need of help / but probably will not treat him or her differently / when it comes to evaluating schoolwork. / Professors have several roles in relation to students; / they may be counselors and friends as well as teachers. / Students must realize / that when a teacher‘s role changes, / they must appropriately adapt their behavior and attitudes. /
2. Cloze
Student life at American universities is chaotic during the first week of each quarter or
semester. Registering (1) for classes, becoming familiar with the buildings on campus, buying books, (2) adding and dropping classes, and paying fees are confusing for everyone. During this busy period there is (3) little time for students to anticipate (4) what they will later encounter in the classroom.
International students, accustomed to their countries‘ education expectations, must adapt to new classroom norms in a (5) foreign college or university. Whereas in one country prayer may be acceptable in a classroom, in another it may be (6) forbidden. In some classrooms around the world students must humbly (7) obey their teacher‘s commands and (8) remain absolutely silent during a class period. In (9) others, students may talk, eat, and smoke during lectures as well as criticize a teacher‘s methods or even contradict his or her statements. It is not always (10) easy to understand a new educational system.
V Oral activities 1. Giving a talk
Suppose you are a B student, and this is disappointing to your parents, who always expect you to be a straight-A student. In a recent English test you got a B again. Now talk to your parent,
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exchange ideas about grades with him / her, and try to persuade him / her into believing that while grades do mean something, they are not everything.
For reference:
You may use the following words or expressions in your talk:
norm, repute, put … in perspective, take … at face value, be apt to, proficiency, flunk, resent, shift, determine, assumption, successful, indicate, correspond to, represent, measurement tool, be determined by, judgment, make distinctions, achievement
2. Having a discussion
It is not unusual nowadays that some students who did not do well at school turn out to be very successful in life after leaving school while some A students are far less successful. Thus some people believe that grades are not as important as they seem. Do you agree or disagree with their opinion? Give three reasons to support yourself. Then form two opposing groups to debate the issue.
Viewpoints for reference:
— I agree with their opinion. First, one‘s grade can mean one‘s achievement in study but can not represent a judgment of his basic ability or of his character such as courage, virtue, wisdom which are important to one‘s success. Second, the classification of grade, which is created by man, is not a precise measurement tool to indicate one‘s overall proficiency. Third, to judge whether a student is excellent or not, we should consider the combination of moral qualities, intellectual ability, physical fitness and aesthetic appreciation.
— I disagree with their opinion. First, A students tend to get A‘s. Their A grade means that they have successfully completed courses of study with a high level of proficiency, which will lay a solid foundation for their future success. Second, A students‘ characters such as courage, diligence and persistence contribute to their good performance at school. Those characters are also good cornerstone of their future success. Third, when A students graduate from school, they are more favored by employers and are given more job opportunities with which they may enjoy greater possibility of success.
VI Writing Practice
Paragraph development — Classification
In our daily life we are constantly organizing things in one way or another. Classification is the grouping of items into categories according to some consistent principle. Most families of things can be divided or classified according to several different principles. The key to good classification writing is to use a single rule of division for each part. Classification is done of things that belong to one family, things that have something in common, but the purpose of classification is to compare and contrast them, showing their differences, so that the reader might have a better understanding of them. Classification is extensively used in technical writing, but the strategy can also be used for nontechnical purposes. Original and interesting classification for rhetorical effect can surprise the readers and capture their attention.
Words and expressions often used for classification include, among many others, the following: include, comprise, contain, have, be sorted into, be classified into, differ in, be divided
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