摘要:在使用由上海外語教育出版社出版,董亞芬任總主編的大學英語精讀教材第二冊的過程中,筆者發現了有幾處地方頗值得商榷,故在此拋磚引玉,以期教材更加完善。
關鍵詞:大學英語;精讀教材;問題;商榷
作者簡介:楊云高(1974--),男,碩士研究生,四川師范大學成都學院外語系教師。研究方向:大學英語教學與管理。
[中圖分類號]:G633.41[文獻標識碼]:A
[文章編號]:1002-2139(2011)-19-0061-02
我院2008級普通本科使用的是上海外語教育出版社2006年8月出版(第三版),董亞芬任總主編的大學英語精讀教材,該教材獲得了全國高等學校第二屆優秀教材特等獎和國家教委高等學校第二屆優秀教材一等獎。在教學過程中,筆者發現精讀教材第二冊學生用書中下述幾個問題頗值得提出來與大家商榷,以期使教材更加完善。
一、Unit 3的Warm-Up Questions(見學生用書P.51)有下述兩個句子:
2. What kind of a job do you want to have after graduation?
3. What kind of a person do you want to have as your future boss?
kind of后接可數名詞,前面通常不帶冠詞a、an、the,這個名詞表示不確定的概念。如:He’s a kind of unofficial adviser.
他像個非官方的顧問。(《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》)
故應將上述兩句分別改為What kind of job…和What kind of person…
二、Unit 3的II .Comprehension of the Text,第7小題(見學生用書p.57)如下:
7).The author was very unhappy about the teaching arrangement because_____.
a. he would have to teach all subjects except art to all the boys
b. he was no good at teaching algebra and geometry
c. he would have to teach three different levels
d. all of the above
b選項是:he was no good at teaching algebra and geometry.
該句中的good,編者用作形容詞,但是形容詞前面不用no,而用not來否定。no 是限定詞,只修飾名詞。例如:
It’s no good (my) talking to him.
(我)同他談沒有用。(《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》)
當good作為形容詞時,才有be good at結構,其否定式為be not good at…例如:He isn’t good at dancing.
故b應改為he was not good at teaching algebra and geometry.
三、Unit3 Part V. Usage(Complete the following sentences by translating the Chinese in brackets into English),第7題(見學生用書P.62)如下:
7.The dog__________________________(不停地嗅著一團絨線) in the living room.
該題的參考答案是was smelling a ball of wool(見《大學英語精讀教師用書》第二冊,p.144)
該參考答案有點欠妥,沒有翻譯出“不停地嗅著一團絨線”的語氣。應該譯成:kept smelling a ball of wool 或:was smelling a ball of wool without stopping。
四、Unit 4 的III Vocabulary Activates,第二道練習題的第6小題(見學生用書p.85)題干是:
When learning a foreign language, the best method is to begin with the spoken language.
這是一個有語病的句子,這樣的語病時常出現。該句的主語the best method, 不可能是learning a foreign language這一動作的實施者,因此該句要改為:
In the course of learning a foreign language,the best method is to begin with the spoken language.或者:
When we start to learn a foreign language, the best method is to begin with the spoken language.或者:
The best method of learning a foreign language is to begin with the spoken language.
五、Test Yourself 1 的Part III,No.74(見學生用書p.136)如下:
More and more people are taking to their bikes as a (n) ______ to driving or using public transport.
參考答案是C。討論的要點是alternative后接to 還是接of。 請看《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》中的例句:
You have the alternative of marrying or remaining a bachelor.
你可以結婚也可以仍做單身漢。
因此,應將題干中的to driving改為of driving。
六、Unit 6的New Words,編者給予生詞 sweat vi. (見學生用書p.141)一個學生熟知的詞義“流汗”,但是在課文中該詞的意義與所給的詞義大相徑庭:
I’d sweated through my share of stab wounds of the belly, of punctured lungs, of compound fractures. I had sweated over them for five years. I didn’t need to sweat any more. (見學生用書p.139,lines 39-41)
我戰戰兢兢地治療過交在我手下的腹部刺傷、肺部穿孔以及復合性骨折等病例。這類外科手術我已經戰戰兢兢地干了五年。
該詞義應該改成:be in a state of great anxiety 處于焦急不安的狀態
七、Unit 6的VII. Cloze中有這樣一句:
Dr. Nolen believed that the most important time in a surgical (1) career is the point at which the surgeon begins to feel confident (2) in his ability to make sound decisions in each individual case. (見學生用書p.151)
本句中的confident后接 in 還是 of? 請看《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》中的例句:He is confident of victory. 他對勝利充滿信心。但是名詞confidence后才接in,請看《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》中的例句:
Don’t put too much confidence in what the papers say.不要過分相信報紙上的話。
因此,應將題干中的feel confident (2) in his ability改為:feel confident (2) of his ability
八、Unit 6的 III Vocabulary Activities,第三題的第六小題如下:
6).Are you positive all the beds in the hospital are occupied (見學生用書p.172)
參考答案是:Are you positive the hospital has no vacant beds?
(見《大學英語精讀教師用書》第二冊p.160)
編者在此沒有將該句的全部否定的語氣翻譯出來。應該改為:
Are you positive no beds in the hospital are vacant?
或者:Are you positive none of the beds in the hospital are vacant?